


A Possibility

by ShandyCandy278



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dreamswap (Undertale), Angst, Compromise, Drug Use, Escape, Kidnapping, Panic Attacks, Plan B, Prison, Recovery, Stubborness, Tags May Change, Torture, implied rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 02:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21384220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShandyCandy278/pseuds/ShandyCandy278
Summary: Nightmare disappears for two weeks, and within that time Error and Cross manage to get captured by JR while trying to find him. When Dream finds him though...Well. Let's just hope that Nightmare's willing to put up with people trying to help him when he says that he's fine.
Comments: 74
Kudos: 183





	1. Kidnapped

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sweet Dreams](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18038849) by [GlitterGlitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterGlitch/pseuds/GlitterGlitch). 

> Okay.
> 
> I read 'Sweet Dreams' by GlitterGlitch and totally fell in love with it. And there isn't a problem with that.
> 
> The problem is that now I can't stop thinking about what exactly happened to Nightmare and what would happen after Dream saves him (outside of Dream turning him into a Positive Spirit), and because of that I started writing this little thing when I should be more focused on 'Curiosity Killed the ErROr' and Dreamswap Week, but whatever.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it (even if it starts out small)! :D

It had been a normal day.

That is, until something hard hit him over the head.

And now, who knew how long later, he was going to learn what happened next.

Nightmare groaned as he woke up, blinking as he fought against the dark dots that encased his vision. It was hard to tell the difference- the room that he was kept in was dark and dusty. Small, too- with only a door directly ahead of him. He could tell because the light shone from underneath it.

He struggled to remember what happened, his brain fuzzy and his memory off. He tried to move so that he could look over the room further, but a sharp jingling sound caused him to wince, and he stopped.

_ ‘This isn’t JR.’ _ Nightmare thought.  _ ‘There aren’t any bars.’ _

Great, so he was chained up in this strange, dark room and Dream probably had nothing to do with it.

This time he was prepared for the noise as he moved, testing his bonds. His legs chained together, and his arms were chained to the wall he was propped up behind. If he could find a way to access his boots, he could use his lock pick set to get free. His magic was being blocked by something, though- he didn’t know if it was the chains or something else.

Footsteps approached, and Nightmare found himself struggling to get up on his feet as the door creaked open. An unfamiliar figure stood there with a smile on his face that said everything  _ but _ mercy, with a knife in his hand.

“Oh. Our guest is awake.” He said as the door closed behind him. “Good.”

“What do you want?” Nightmare asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Rumor has it that you’re the cause of all of the evil things that go on in this universe.” The man admitted, his voice smooth in a way that sent shivers up Nightmare’s spine. He walked closer, towering slightly over him as he placed the blunt side of the knife to his cheek. “Rumor  _ also  _ has it that you’re Dream’s  _ brother _ .”

“That’s not-“ He sighed, already knowing it was useless. “Just get to the point.”

“The point.” The man growled, his anger spiking as he switched his hold on the knife so that the sharp end was pressed against his bone. “Is that he fired me. He’s untouchable.” He smirked, a sick pleasure rolling off of him that made Nightmare want to throw up. “ _ You’re  _ not.”

“So you’re going to take your anger towards Dream out on me?” Nightmare scoffed. “You coward! If you had a problem with it you should grow up and pester the man himself.”

“I’m being smart.” Nightmare winced when the knife pressed harder against the bone, his hands struggling against their confinement. “And when I’m done with you-“ He hissed as the knife left a cut and the blood began to pour out, glaring up at the man with all of the spite and anger that he felt towards everything. “You’ll wish your brother had offed you a long, long time ago.”

Welp.

He doubted he was getting out of this mess any time soon.


	2. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare's still stuck, and Cross and Error decide to break in to JR to try and find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- Hints of rape, nothing graphically described. Drug use.

_ ‘I hope Cross and Error are doing okay.’ _ Nightmare thought. 

He didn't know how long had passed since he had been brought here, but it had certainly felt like ages. He knew it couldn’t have actually been that long though, perhaps a day or… four? Hopefully not, but that’s what his gut told him.

He hadn’t been able to find a way to pull out his lockpick yet, so he did his best to be compliant to avoid getting on his kidnapper’s bad side, but his aura worked against him in practically every way. Often encounters that looked like they were supposed to be peaceful ended with beatings and knives cutting into him. He feared that they’d get worse the longer he was kept here, which was another reason why escaping was so important.

At least they fed him.

In fact, right now appeared to be one of the feeding visits. The door opened and closed, and the man behind his kidnapping came in with food. They walked up to him with the granola bar in hand, but this time… there was something different.

His emotions were clouded with that sick joy and need for revenge, but they were hiding something else. Something more sinister. It made Nightmare shiver, but he held his ground and glared up at the man. He would show no weakness.

“Eat.” He ordered, holding the bar up for Nightmare. He kept his eyes on the man even as he leaned forward and took a bite, some of the aching in his soul fading as his magic processed the food.

When he was done, he expected the man to leave just as he had before. 

He didn't.

_ Something was terribly, terribly wrong. _

Panic coursed through his mind only moments later when he realized  _ why. _ It was growing harder to stay focused- harder to move. He wanted to get up and run as far away from the man as he could while chained, but all he managed to do was scoot to the side a few inches. His body felt heavy to him, slowly becoming numb. He refused to fall under the drug’s influence, fighting for his consciousness. He struggled against the chains holding his arms weakly until all he could manage was a finger twitch.

_ What are you planning on doing?! _ He wanted to scream, but his voice didn't want to aid him. The man glanced at his watch.

“It should’ve knocked you out by now.” He shrugged. “Oh well. You still can’t fight back.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened as the man stood up, his hands reaching down for his-

_ NO! _

He wanted to scream, to wake up from whatever sick dream this was. He didn't even care if he was back home or not when he woke up. He would rather take on any other form of torture had they chosen to escalate his beatings, but only seconds later the hopes were tossed into the trash.

“No…” He managed to mutter weakly, tugging against the chains again. His mind was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum than he was physically- thoughts racing and screaming at him. No matter how hard he tried, the dark reality that was shown to him said that there was nothing that he would be able to do about it.

“Let’s have some  _ fun _ , shall we?”

* * *

“Do you think he was captured by JR?” Cross asked. It had been days, nearing a week, and they still couldn’t find any sign of Nightmare. They had searched all of the worlds that they could think of, but Nightmare wasn’t in any of them.

“We could check, but I doubt it.” Error sighed as he finished the doll he was making, placing it into a box and kicking the box through a portal and into a donation bin. “We haven’t heard anything from anyone about it, and normally it would be the talk of the town by now.”

“Maybe they’re keeping it quiet.” Cross shifted anxiously. “So that the chances of his escape are minimal. We should check.”

“Risky…” Error admitted, but then he sighed and stood up. “But that’s better than whatever else could have happened to him. We should make a plan before we go.”

“I’ll go grab the whiteboard.”

* * *

_ “PLAN B PLAN B PLAN B!” _   


“WE DON’T HAVE A PLAN B!” Error yelled, using his strings to drag Cross after him when he tripped trying to dodge the flying projectiles coming from behind them. The Guards were hot on their trail, and it was safe to say that they had failed their mission.

“WHOSE JOB WAS IT TO MAKE PLAN B?!”

“NORMALLY IT’S NIGHTMARE’S!”

“AND WHO DOES THAT WHEN HE’S NOT HERE?!”

“YOU, YOU IDIOT!” Error looped his strings around his hand and used them to grab onto some kind of decorative pot, throwing it behind them at their persecutors.

“Oh.” Cross winced, turning a corner with Error. “Sorry.”

“It’s  _ okay _ , we just need to get out of-” Both suddenly had orange paint covering them, and with a snap they were both brought down and immobilized. They fought against the ‘chains’ they were trapped in as Ink approached them. He crouched down and narrowed his eyes as they changed shape. 

“Where’s Nightmare?” He asked.

“Not here!”

“Well, duh.” Ink rolled his eyes. “Where is he?”

Both stayed silent, looking at each other. 

Tell Ink that Nightmare had been missing for the last six days, or refuse to say anything? Had Dream captured Nightmare without anyone else’s knowledge?

They didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Whatever.” Ink huffed before either of them could speak as some guards picked them up. “We can figure it out during questioning. Go ahead and take them to their cells, I’m going to go and tell Dream what’s going on.” He dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand, and Error and Cross spoke silently with each other via facial expressions.

_ How were they going to get out of this one? _


	3. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what the title says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da~! :'D

He refused to sleep.

Nightmare shivered as the cold stone below him touched his bone, torn between wanting to stay warm and laying back against it. His clothes were torn to the point that some parts couldn’t even hide anything, so they weren’t exactly doing him any favors.

He winced as he shifted again, the chains rubbing against his already chafed bone and various other injuries choosing at that moment to make themselves known to him. They hadn’t broken any of his bones yet, but he wished that they had instead of what they had decided to do. These people were weird.

He hadn’t found a good time to escape yet, and every single time he tried to use his lockpick (which was now safely hidden in a small crack in the wall he had found near his hands, thank heavens) they came in again to beat him or do… other things to mess with his mind. Ever since  _ that _ , they had taken to torturing him and-

Footsteps approached, and he winced as light flooded into the room, landing on him. He didn't want to look down at his bones that were stained with his marrow and blood, so he glared up at his captor defiantly instead. It was hard to focus, his vision was a little hazy around the edges, but he  _ refused _ to let them get an even higher hand. They carried a plate with a sandwich of some sort on it for him.

He  _ wasn’t  _ hungry. 

The aching feeling in his soul lied to him. Or maybe it was something else.

But not hunger.

Not after  _ that. _

“Eat.” He ordered, shoving some food close to his mouth. Nightmare turned his head resentfully, refusing the food. “Eat.” They ordered again, using their other hand to forcefully turn Nightmare’s head back. He still refused. After a few moments of glaring spitefully at the man, they growled and released him, backing away and walking towards the door. “Fine. Starve.” It was slammed shut behind him, leaving Nightmare back in the familiar darkness.

No doubt he would be drunk later and pissed that he had refused food yet again, but he really wasn’t going to be having any of it. Not after he had drugged him, and ever since then he wouldn’t ever allow him, or any of them, without a fight- but that still didn’t stop them from-

_ No. _

_ He wasn’t going to think about that. _

He pushed the thoughts aside and ignored the panic that coursed through him at the thought of  _ that _ happening again. 

There were more important things to think about.

He needed to find a way to escape still. He didn't know exactly what was out there, and he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be able to use magic until he left the building.

… Actually, now might be the only time he’d be able to leave. Usually, after they came in to try and feed him, it took a while before  _ he _ came back to continue the torture. 

He was really weak now, though, so he’d have to be careful.

He moved his hands up and grabbed at the lock pick, struggling to maneuver them around to a point where he could actually work on getting free.

_ ‘Come on.’ _ He thought when he felt the pick catch on the hole. He grunted as he had to shift even further in an uncomfortable position to get it in, and he still had to pick it right.  _ ‘Come on!’ _

A few minutes later, his hand was free.

He caught the chains before they could clang against the wall behind him, watching the door in front of him like some serial killer was going to pop out of it. He slowly placed it against the wall, wincing at even the slightest noise. When no one came, he was quick to free his other hand, and then his feet. 

He braced himself against the wall as he stood up, his head spinning. He took a few moments to regain his bearings, allowing the feeling to get back into his legs. Experimentally, he tried to summon his staff. Electric blue magic sputtered by his hands, confirming his earlier thoughts. It was the building, not the chains.

The next thing to do was to prepare to fight three people at the very least. He had only ever seen three people after all, but who knew if there would be more. He shook out his hands and walked around the room he had been chained in for the past who-knew how long, and when he finally felt like he was ready he quietly walked over to the door- his head held high and ready to fight to gain his freedom back.

He reached his hand out, realizing that he didn't know if it was locked or not. 

He had to try.

Nightmare’s hand wrapped over the doorknob, and he slowly twisted it.

_ ‘Idiots.’ _ He thought when no lock stopped him. He readied his fist to punch anyone that might’ve been playing guard, and opened the door just enough to see if anyone was there.

Empty.

He quietly opened the door the rest of the way, cautiously stepping forward and raising both of his fists. There was a stairwell ahead, he must’ve been in a basement of sorts, so he slowly climbed them. Occasionally he’d glance behind him to make sure that he hadn’t missed anything, paranoid that something would leap out of the shadows and drag him back down there.

Finally, he reached a trap door. He pushed up experimentally- just a little bit so that he could look around.

_ There… _

_ Was grass? _

So he was in some kind of safe-house cellar of sorts?

Had he really gotten this lucky?

He continued to open it just high enough for him to crawl through and into the tall grass. He let it fall behind him, breathing a sigh of relief as he stared up and into the Night Sky.

_ That had been easier than he’d thought.  _

He grunted as he turned to get up, holding out his hand. His magic responded freely, allowing him to summon his staff. Nightmare smiled, hope blooming from the very core of his soul-

“HEY! YOU! GET BACK HERE!”

Nightmare jumped at the voices and turned around just in time to duck down and into the grass. Gunfire swiftly tore through the quiet air, and moments later an alarm began to go off.

_ Crap. _

Pushing himself back up to his feet, he ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Occasionally he’d trip and have to catch himself, but he didn't want to open a portal and teleport unless he was positive no one would be able to follow him.

Not to mention that, even if he could use his magic, it didn't mean that he had enough energy to go to a different world. The farthest he could probably get was 30 miles- 60 if he pushed himself and used it all up.

His vision caught the beginnings of a treeline up ahead, and he booked it. The only thing he could think of was to run away, so the moment that he ran past the first tree he teleported as far away as he could. He teleported again when he realized that he was still in the forest, but soon after that, he found himself staring at city lights.

He couldn’t even properly enjoy the sight, his lack of sleep and magic exhaustion taking him by surprise as his vision fell to darkness.

* * *

Dream was growing irritated.

And for once, it wasn’t because Blue was there.

“They still claim that they don’t know where he is?” He asked Ink over the phone, expertly ignoring Blue even as he played with his staplers.

“Yeah.” Ink answered from the other end. The shouts of Cross and Error could be heard, although they were distant and muffled. “They said that they came here to try and break him out.”

“Hm.” Dream hummed, signing a paper and sending it off with a wave of his hand. “Perhaps we should start considering that they really are telling the truth. That Nightmare is missing and has been for almost two weeks now.”

“I don’t know, Dream.” His friend sighed.

“The machine is ready, Ink.” Dream reminded sternly, stretching. Blue was now drawing with markers on the walls. Very…  _ crude _ drawings with clear, childish and immature humor. “We need to find Nightmare. I myself will lead the search- we’ll start with Littletale and move on from there.” He got up and walked towards one of the walls in his office, looking over his map of the multiverse and using a tack to mark where Littletale was. “That was the last place he was spotted about a month ago. I know that he hasn’t been missing for that long, but they most likely won’t tell us where their base is. Once we confirm that he’s not there, we’ll continue our search outward. He can’t hide forever.”

A pause.

“But-”

“If it helps to ease your mind, I’ll use a truth serum and ask Cross and Error where Nightmare is.” And they didn’t have much of that. They only used it for the… special cases.

“...” A sigh. “When do you want to announce the mission?” Ink asked.

“I’ll announce it myself in an hour or two, right after Breakfast is served to the prisoners.” Dream decided, turning around. Blue wasn’t there anymore- thank heavens. “Could you tell everyone to meet in the courtyard before then?”

“I’m on it.” He hung up, so Dream walked back over to his desk and sighed. He still had paperwork to do.

But something kept on picking at his thoughts.

Why on earth would Nightmare disappear so suddenly? Even from his friends? He wasn’t dust, clearly, which meant that something must have happened.

The little seed of worry only continued to grow as he focused on the paperwork, but he ignored it to the best of his abilities. Nightmare could take care of himself, after all. There was nothing to worry about.

* * *

When he woke up, his whole body ached.

Nightmare grunted as he picked himself up, his bones and magic protesting so hard that he was tempted to just fall down and never get up again. A self-quick check told him the same thing. Unless he found someone who was willing to help him (hah!) he would be stuck like this here for a while.

_ ‘No.’ _ He thought, shaking his head.  _ ‘They can still find me. I need to find a better place.’ _

When he was properly standing and took the time to look around, he could tell that it was in the middle of the night in this AU, in some kind of park within the city.

_ ‘They’ll probably be able to track my magical signature. I better make this fast.’ _ He admitted reluctantly to himself, taking a step forward. When his right leg almost gave out against him he lifted it back up, looking down.

A single, clear crack was across the bone- cutting through deep enough that it almost made a clean break. If he put too much pressure on it… 

Well… 

He supposed the only reason why he hadn't noticed it before was because of the adrenaline rush. That thing could be one heck of a drug.

Nightmare gritted his teeth and summoned his staff with the bare minimum of magic he had left- no doubt that he’d pass out again, but he had to keep going. He needed to find a safer place and to figure out how long he’d been gone.

He used his staff as a crutch, helping him walk to the edge of the park. It would only last until he could brace himself against something else, so he needed to do this as fast as possible.

He just hoped that no one would find him.


	4. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare's found.

He was  _ exhausted _ .

But no matter where he went he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t safe- the feeling that people were watching, waiting for him to lower his guard before they struck and kidnapped him again. The sun had only just finished rising from the horizon when he had woken up what had to be a few hours ago. 

So he kept going, even as he passed multiple areas that he could turn into a temporary abode until he was better again.

He gasped as he tripped over himself, his bones throbbing in protest. His magic reserves hadn’t recovered from his usage yet, and he doubted that even if he allowed himself to sleep he would gain enough to even try to heal. His healing wasn’t all that great to begin with, anyway. 

He sat down in the alleyway he had wandered into, taking in a deep breath to help him bear the pain before slowly letting it out. He couldn’t stay here long, but he needed a break.

If he had been gone even half as long as he believed he had been, then Cross and Error had probably gotten themselves captured by JR trying to find him. He’d need to go in and save them…

_ But how? _

“Well well, would you look here?” A smooth voice spoke. Nightmare jumped, cursing loudly while he tried and failed (as he knew he would) to summon his magic.

He knew that voice, and it didn't mean anything good.

“What do you want?” He asked, glaring up at Blue. The nasty skeleton leaned down with a smirk on his face, looking every bit like the cat that caught the canary. 

“Oh, don’t even try. I can tell you can’t fight back if you wanted to,” Blue chuckled, as though he had said a joke. Nightmare didn’t laugh. “I’m a little impressed though, it took a while to finally locate you, ya know? In fact, I had already looked through this AU before and only doubled back about an hour ago. You can thank my gut instincts.”

“If you’re just going to taunt me, you can leave.” Nightmare tried to hide the wince that came with him using his hand to flip Blue off. “I don’t want your help,  _ Blueberry. _ ”

“But you clearly need it.” He sat down, resting his skull on his palm as they stared at each other. He didn't actually offer his services. He must have wanted Nightmare to ask.

Fine, let him try to play his little game- Nightmare wasn’t going to fall for any of it. “You know, Dream’s on the hunt for you.”

“That’s not surprising.”

“Sorry, let me clarify-“ Blue leaned in close- too close for Nightmare’s liking after what had happened, and he leaned away. “Dream’s searching for you even harder than he was before. In fact, he himself is here in this AU looking for you. You’ve been missing for two weeks.”

“What. Do. You. Want.” Nightmare fisted his hands, glaring fiercely at Blue and ready to fight despite hardly being even close to being in good enough condition to fight, let alone win. “If you think that I’m going to give you something just so that you can ‘save me’, I’m telling you right here and now that you’d be better off drowning. In fact-“ He smirked. “Why don’t you go ahead and do that? No one actually likes you.”

“I hate to differ.”

“That’s bull crap and you-“

“You’re right.” Blue sighed, and Nightmare could see a little dramatic flair when he did so. “But alas, how am I supposed to be on your dear brother’s good side if I don’t bring tidings of joy?”

“What?!” Nightmare hissed, and his thoughts ran through every single scenario he could think of as to why Blue would want to be on Dream’s good side. “You don’t even work for Dream!”

“Details- minor ones that could be amended if one so wished. So,” Blue leaned down again to whisper into his ear. Nightmare grit his teeth as he refused the flinch that was begging to be let out. “Either way is a win for me, one will just be a lot less painful than the other. What do you choose?”

“What choice even is there?” He huffed. “Just keep your stupid hands off me and go bother someone else.”

“The more painful way then, I suppose.” Blue shrugged, standing up. Nightmare blinked when he realized that he had actually listened to him. “Oh well, that’s your choice.” 

Then, with a wink and mocking salute, he vanished.

…

He left rather quickly.

Almost…

_ Too _ quickly.

He did his best to fight off the antsy feeling that crawled up and into his soul. No matter what his gut told him, he needed to rest a bit longer before he could start moving again- to prevent wounds that he couldn’t even properly wrap from opening for the umpteenth time.

Maybe now he could work out a plan to break his friends out in peace-

“Blue’s note said that he thought he saw Nightmare around here.” A voice spoke from the mouth of the Alley. Nightmare almost swore, but he stopped himself before he could. Making noise would only get him caught faster.

_ Oh no. _

“Are we sure we can even trust that guy?” Another voice asked. “How many times has he broken into JR just for the fun of it? How many times has he messed with you?”

_ He needed to leave. _

“I’d rather eliminate as many leads as I can, Ink. Whether this accusation is true or not doesn’t matter- we’ll check ALL of them for Nightmare.”

_ Now. _

“So there really wasn’t a flaw with the truth serum.” Ink said softly. “Cross and Error really, truly don’t know where he is? He really just disappeared for two weeks?”

_ But how?! _

“Yes, he did.” Dream sighed. “And we’re running short on places to look near the AU he was last spotted in. He could be on the other side of the Multiverse by now.”

Oh, how Nightmare wished he was. 

He pressed his hands up against the wall behind him, using all the strength he could gather to slowly lift himself up.

_ ‘Don’t make any noise.’ _ He thought when pain spiked through his body.  _ ‘No noise, no noise, no noise-‘ _

“Where do you want me to start looking?”

“On the other side of town. I’ll look here.”

No,  _ dang it! Do NOT look here, Dream! _

He didn't want to be found!

…

Well, they probably knew that,  _ but still! _

Nightmare slowly took a step forward, leaning against the wall to help him find his balance. He took several deep breaths as he gathered what energy he could, taking another step. And another. And another.

Slowly, he made his way deeper into the alleyway. He neared the corner that he had turned into earlier to proceed into a different alley when something moved out of the corner of his vision. He spun around, fists ready for a fight. Mid-spin, his eyes were able to focus on a tabby cat just as he placed his right foot down-

_ SNAP! _

“AAAAAARGHHH~!” He yelled, and the cat meowed in alarm before rushing away. His leg gave way beneath him (of COURSE it was his bad one) and he fell as one spectacular mess onto the floor of the alley. He hissed in pain and squeezed his eyes shut as his skull landed harshly on the ground, and he could feel all kinds of cuts reopening.

_ ‘Crap!’ _ He thought.  _ ‘This isn’t the time to just lay down! We need to leave!’ _

He sat up and nearly threw up at the sight of his right leg, pushing through his muddled thoughts and pain. He tried to get up and failed, knocking over some kind of trash can while he was at it. He could already hear the footsteps coming closer and closer, and in a last-ditch effort to get the heck away from there, he flipped onto his stomach and began to crawl. He used his arms to push himself forward, shuddering as his broken leg protested against his movements.

Nightmare’s vision kept on fading in and out from the pain- tempting him to fall unconscious once more. He refused, even as he heard Dream speak from behind him.

“Nightmare?!” He gasped, and the said skeleton struggled to push himself forward again. “Oh my gosh, what happened to you?”

“No!” Nightmare cried out, his voice sounding weaker and less forceful than he wanted it to when he felt Dream carefully pick him up. He kicked his one good leg in protest and tried to push the arms off of him. He was well aware that his struggling wasn’t of any use, though. “No, Don’t! Let me go!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Nightmare could feel Dream’s magic gathering in the air around them as Dream shifted his hold on Nightmare into a more comfortable one. The familiarity of his brother’s aura soothed any baseline fears that he had, but he continued to struggle regardless. “Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter!” Nightmare spat as Dream shifted even more, using one of his arms to lift Nightmare up so that he could pin his arms in between their chests. Normally he’d be able to pull out of it, but his body was relaxing against his will and making his attempts to escape even harder to actually do. 

This…

It was-

_ NO! _

His weak state and the restrictions enforced on him reminded him too much of what had happened to him while he was  _ there _ , and his panic undid any of Dream’s aura’s effects on his mind. It didn't help when they teleported to what he assumed was a part of JR (one that he had never seen), and a single unwanted tear fell down his cheek. 

“It does matter, Nightmare. Please, stop struggling- I’m trying to help you.” 

Why did Dream’s voice sound like it was echoing?

No, that didn't matter, he needed them to-

“Let me go!” He continued to protest. He could feel Dream’s aura grow stronger as it wrapped around him, and a sense of true calm that he had been missing ever since this had started slowly caressed his entire being. More tears fell from his eyes like the little traitors they were, but even then he continued to speak. 

Unfortunately, due to his panic, his attempts at protesting swiftly turned into begging. The words that tumbled out of his mouth weren’t even registering in his head, the tone sounding too broken and fragile for him to actually think that they were coming from him. It didn’t help that he was struggling to actually  _ see _ what was around him instead of-

“Please, don’t do it, don’t-”

“Don’t what?” He could vaguely hear Dream ask. Nightmare didn't even register the other anymore, his mind looking back as he could feel phantom hands gripping his bones-

“I don’t want this- please stop, don’t- It hurts, it hurts, it  _ hurts- _ ” A sob tore itself from his throat and he closed his eyes, shaking his head repeatedly back and forth.

“Nightmare.” The voice sounded like it was far away but close at the same time, and his body was being shaken.  _ No, no, no- _ “Nightmare!” A little harder. _ He didn't want to- _ “Snap out of it!”

“No!” Nightmare gasped, almost choking on his own breaths. “I won’t! I don’t want to do this, stop, please-”

As he moved, he felt fabric, and when he felt it he subconsciously moved towards it. Fabric was something that hadn’t really been down there (because his was torn off and  _ they  _ had taken-), and it had a soothing warmth radiating from it to boot. The hands that once fought and struggled grasped onto the substance almost desperately- needing something to anchor him in this reality, because he didn't want to get lost to the other one. The faraway voice whispered soothing things to him, and the only thing that he knew was that there was no way that this could be  _ them _ and that he was no longer down there.

“Shhh…” It said. “It’s okay, Nightmare. You’re safe now. No one’s going to hurt you here, your safe. Shhh…”

“I’m sorry.” He sobbed, his voice so soft he struggled to hear it. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-”

“Don’t be sorry.” Something pressed against his forehead, and all he could do was cry harder. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. You’re safe here, Night. You’re safe.”

Nightmare’s voice slowly died off, his cries numbing his mind and body limp in the embrace of the warmth. It took him a bit to remember that this was Dream holding him, that Dream was carrying him somewhere, but the only thing that he really cared about was the feeling that was wrapped around him like a blanket and a hug all at once.

When his bones touched a different surface, though, he panicked. He worked as hard as he could to keep holding onto Dream- onto that feeling of security that chased away the dark emptiness of the basement-cellar-thing he had been trapped in.

“No, no- don’t! Please!” His voice rasped. “Don’t let them get me, don’t-”

“Shhh, brother.” Dream soothed, one of his hands rubbing Nightmare’s skull. “It’s okay. I need to put you down in order to heal you. I’m not going to leave, and no one is going to get you. You’re safe.” This continued on for a bit, but Nightmare eventually calmed down enough for Dream to put him down. It was soft, and admittedly a little cold, but Dream’s aura was still wrapped around him and continuing to calm him down.

After a few moments of the aura still surrounding him, he knew he was telling the truth.

He could hear Dream walk around the room, and his vision came back to him when he asked for it. Everything was blurry, though, and his head lolled to the side as Dream approached from the right. He was too emotionally exhausted to really think about the many reasons as to why he should be trying to leave- why he couldn’t stay here and be safe.

“Okay.” Dream said slowly as he looked him in the eyes, and Nightmare had to concentrate to listen. “I need to reset your bone before I heal it, okay Nightmare?”

“What?” He asked, furrowing his brow bone. Dream repeated the statement even slower, and understanding struck his mind like a match.

_ It was going to hurt. _

Nightmare managed to nod, and he braced himself for the pain that would come. He could feel Dream’s hands on his leg, and he took in a deep breath just before a mind-splitting pain exploded across his body. He didn't have the energy to scream, though- a pathetic whimper the only thing that told of his misery.

Not long after that, the warmth of healing magic vibrated softly through his leg. Dream removed his arms from the spot once he was done and began to heal other parts of his body just as Nightmare slowly began to relax. 

_ Finally. _

The pain was shooed away as it continued to soothe his nerves, but even with everything that happened Nightmare couldn’t find it in himself to sleep.

At one point, Dream seemed to notice this. One of his hands moved to Nightmare’s head to rub it while the other moved to gently hold his hand. He resumed his soft reassurances of safety, at one point even going as far as to hum some kind of lullaby that further lulled him to sleep.

The final touch, though, was when Dream leaned down and wrapped his arms and wings softly around him, holding him close the way he used to all those years ago.

“It’s okay.” Dream’s voice faded in and out of his consciousness as Nightmare absently turned to lean into Dream’s embrace, his eyes fluttering shut and breathing evening out. “Sleep well, brother. I got you.”

* * *

Dream was in a conundrum. 

As he stared at Nightmare’s unconscious form from the chair he had pulled up to sit next to the hospital bed, he couldn’t help but relive the memories of the last hour.

_ (“AAAAAARGHHH~!” The scream came from the alley he had just walked past. The owner was obviously in pain, so of course Dream went to investigate. Speaking of his intentions would warn any aggressors and prevent them from getting justice, so he opted to be as quiet as he could. _

_ What he found was not something he had been expecting. _

_ “Nightmare?!” He gasped, staring down at the said skeleton in shock. “Oh my gosh, what happened to you?!” _

_ Nightmare was trying to crawl away from him, blood and marrow soaking what little was left of his clothes and broken leg visible for all to see. He was also colored from head to toe in bruises. It was almost admirable, Dream admitted to himself, to see his brother still going despite his wounds. _

_ But it was also very foolish. _

_ “No!” Nightmare yelled as Dream walked over and picked him up, mentally coming up with what he’d need to do and how he’d have to do it. He needed to inform Ink and the others that he had found Nightmare, but before he could use the machine to turn Nightmare into a positive spirit he’d need to heal Nightmare. _

_ Well, healing was on there whether the machine was ready or not. He also needed to figure out what happened to him. _

_ “No, don’t! Let me go!” _

_ “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” It worried him even more at just how  _ ** _weak_ ** _ Nightmare was as he struggled against him, but it made sense with how wounded the other was. Dream shifted his hold into one that was more fit for both of them, his magic gathering around them. He needed Nightmare to calm down. “Who did this to you?” _

_ “I don’t know and it doesn’t matter!” Nightmare snapped. Dream shifted them into a slightly different position that had Nightmare’s arms pinned between Dream’s chest and Nightmare’s, otherwise, Nightmare would end up hurting himself. Nightmare’s struggling slowed, but they never stopped. _

_ Dream could almost feel the impact of the sudden panic that exploded through Nightmare, but he continued on regardless. That was expected- he had been hunting down Nightmare for years now. _

_ What did surprise him was that his aura did nothing to soothe Nightmare’s panic no matter what he did, and it swiftly began to escalate into something more. _

_ Something that wasn’t right. _

_ They needed to leave.  _

_ Now. _

_ Dream was quick to use his magic to teleport them to JR, but his mind had been too distracted with how scared Nightmare felt for him to actually teleport to the medical wing. _

_ “It does matter, Nightmare. Please- stop struggling, I’m trying to help you.” _

_ “Let me go!” Nightmare yelled as loud as he could, which wasn’t very loud. Dream chanced a glance down as he began to walk over there, and he almost stopped when he saw that Nightmare was crying. _

_ Nightmare never cried if he could help it. _

_ “Please, don’t do it,” He begged as Dream struggled to wrap his mind around what was happening. “Don’t-” _

_ “Don’t do what?” He asked, and it took him another moment to realize that Nightmare might have been looking at him, but he wasn’t seeing him. _

_ He was seeing something else. _

_ “I don’t want this- please stop, don’t- It hurts, it hurts, it  _ ** _hurts-_ ** _ ” He sobbed. Dream held him closer, the realization of what was happening to his brother drowning him in a bucket of ice-cold water.) _

Dream gritted his teeth at the very thought, and he could still feel the very moment Nightmare had switched from trying to push him away to trying to get as close to Dream as he possibly could, his body shaking with his cries and empty eye sockets haunted and lost in the memory of whatever had happened during the two weeks he was gone.

Well, Dream had an idea of what happened.

Not only had he recognized the cuts and bruises from knives and fists, but he also recognized the faint marks that resulted from large doses of electricity coursing through the bones, the damage around his neck dealt by nearly drowning underwater, and…

His hands tightened into fists.

_ And the scars that came with being raped. _

Dream wanted to throw something across the room, but he refrained himself. If the dark circles under Nightmare’s eye sockets said anything, it was that he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep- probably because he had been on edge. He most likely still was, and too much noise would wake him up in a panic.

His brother needed the rest, as well as nourishment once he was awake.

That wasn’t the problem, though.

The problem was the machine.

The machine that was supposed to turn Nightmare into a positive spirit and would (hopefully) work.

Normally, he would have done it without a second thought.

But now, as he stared at the evidence before him and recalled Nightmare’s behavior, he second-guessed himself.

_ (Once they had finally arrived in a room where he could properly heal Nightmare, Dream moved to set the other down on the bed. _

_ He had thought Nightmare had fallen asleep. _

_ He thought wrong. _

_ “No, no- don’t- please-” His voice rasped, begging for Dream to keep him close and his arms grasping his shirt so tightly it would take a dozen people to make him let go. “Don’t let them get me, don’t-” _

_ “Shhh, brother.” Dream soothed, one of his hands rubbing Nightmare’s skull. His heart ached. “It’s okay. I need to put you down in order to heal you. I’m not going to leave, and no one is going to get you. You’re safe.”) _

Dream shook his head from the memory, his wings twitching behind him in excellently concealed anger.

After all of that, in his weakest moment, Nightmare had found safety in Dream’s arms.

Granted, he hadn’t at first and he probably wouldn’t when he woke up, but  _ still. _

Did he want to betray that trust, whatever little it was, by changing his spirit against Nightmare’s will? So soon, after all the things his brother had gone through?

But he had been working so hard for this- for them to stop Nightmare’s negativity.

Dream leaned forward and folded his arms on the bed, his head resting upon them as he gazed upon Nightmare, who didn't even look all that peaceful in his exhaustion and pain-induced sleep.

_ How was he going to do this? _


	5. Keywords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream confronts Cross and Error.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

Cross didn't want to look up when he heard footsteps approach from the hallway, but he did regardless. He could hear Error playing with his fabric in the cell next to his, bored.

They had already tried to escape to go and find Nightmare before JR could, but both attempts had failed. Well, Error could escape any time he pleased, but he only stayed here for Cross and (possibly, hopefully) Nightmare. In fact, they were now biding their time for when Nightmare was found so that the three of them could escape together.

That was, unless Nightmare wasn’t found within the next few days.

“Rise.” Dream’s voice ordered as he stopped before the wall that was in between Cross’ and Error’s cells. Cross scowled at the wall across from him, his handcuffed hands aching to summon magic.

“Why should we?” He asked. He could tell Error was still sitting too.

“Because we found Nightmare.”

The four words felt like they had been stabbed into Cross’ soul, and not even seconds later he was gripping the bars to his cell and in front of Dream, tugging against them.

“Where?!” He yelled, glaring at the golden-winged prick. “Where is he?! What have you done to him?! I swear if you-”

“Nightmare is safe now.” Dream answered, not phased in the slightest. “He’s resting in one of the medical rooms and will soon be moved to a guest room.”

“What?!” Error was at the bars now too, staring up at Dream in shock. “What happened to him?!”

“That is what I wish to discuss with the two of you.” Dream pulled out something behind his back, and Cross’ eyes found them settling on the keys that would unlock their cells. “But if we’re going to do this, then I’m going to need you two to cooperate.”

Cross growled, and he opened his mouth to tell Dream that he can go ahead and die, but Error spoke before him.

“What are the conditions?”

“This will be a simple catch and release.” Dream explained before Cross could ask Error what on Earth he was thinking. “You will be allowed to wander around the living quarters section of JR- which, really, only houses me and Ink- as well as a select few other areas. You will be allowed to do as you please and use your magic while Nightmare is recovering, but you are not allowed to leave JR property or this world.”

“The two of you and Nightmare will wear trackers during your stay here, and if you are to break the terms of the agreement you will be returned to your cells and remain there for the rest of your stay. You will be treated just like anyone else who is going through JR’s Victim Recovery Program, and once Nightmare is cleared to go you are allowed to leave. Whether you will continue to be chased down or not depends on Nightmare.”

Cross had far too many questions racing around his head to actually say anything or properly process the words, so he looked through the bars and at Error. He knew the other would have actually paid attention, but he also wanted him to know that Cross didn't want to do whatever  _ this  _ was. Screw the system! They had gotten out of tough situations before, this would be no different! They didn't need Dream’s help!

Silence rang over the three of them, and Dream was looking at Error too.

He… looked a little too lost in thought.

Cross didn’t know if he was going to like where this was going.

* * *

The cogs in Error’s head were turning, slowly gaining more speed- spinning faster and faster as Dream’s words echoed in his head.

_ “We  _ ** _found _ ** _ Nightmare.” _

_ “Nightmare is  _ ** _safe now_ ** _ .” _

_ “He’s  _ ** _resting _ ** _ in one of the  _ ** _medical rooms_ ** _ .” _

_ “If we’re going to do this, then I’m going to  _ ** _need _ ** _ you two to  _ ** _cooperate_ ** _ .” _

_ “A simple  _ ** _catch _ ** _ and  _ ** _release_ ** _ .” _

_ “Nightmare is  _ ** _recovering_ ** _ .” _

_ “Will be treated just like anyone else who is going through  _ ** _JR’s Victim Recovery Program_ ** _ .” _

_ “Once  _ ** _Nightmare _ ** _ is cleared to go you are  _ ** _allowed to leave_ ** _ .” _

Unlike his friends, he had done his research on JR after he had met and moved in with Nightmare and Cross once he learned how to use the internet. Not that he didn't trust the other’s opinions- he just wanted to make sure that he knew about everything. 

He knew that Cross was staring at him, but he’d be going through the same thought process if he knew what Error did.

JR had multiple recovery programs, from rehabilitation to physical therapy, but when Dream had specified the  _ Victim _ Recovery Program, Error just  _ knew _ that something worse had happened than what he and Cross had thought of.

Because, as the title said, the recovery program was for  _ victims. _ For the ones who suffered from abuse a trauma- whose whole lives would be changed because of someone else’s choices, not their own.

All of the other keywords that Dream had used told a dark story that had Error fearing for his friend’s mental health, not just his physical.

He finally found it in himself to look away from Dream to look at Cross, who was ready to defy all of that simply out of spite.

If it was as bad as Dream hinted it was, he doubted he and Cross would be able to help Nightmare all by themselves. If they were to escape and leave with Nightmare now, who knew if he would ever have the chance to actually recover from what he went through? Would anyone be willing to? They would probably never get this chance again- JR had the best personnel in the Multiverse for this kind of thing.

Error himself was living proof of his worries, although he never voiced it and never let it come up in any kind of conversation. After he had done his research about JR, he also became curious as to his own mental stability. He didn't know what had happened to him, he assumed his mind blocked off his memory for his own protection, but whatever it was it was worse than what Blue did to him.

Error was all kinds of messed-up at this point in life, and if he had been able to and had known before, he would have at least tried to get better.

Nightmare, he knew, wouldn’t want that. He didn't like being weak.

Dream knew this, which was why he was down here in the first place if Error’s assumptions were right. If Error and Cross both agreed to this, he’d be able to get Nightmare to go through the program to recover from whatever had happened to him as his moral support. 

Whether it sounded like it or not, no matter the reason, Dream was asking them to help him help Nightmare.

And he’d be willing to do that for his friend.

A look of realization slowly came over Cross’ face, and he leaned as close to Error as he could.

“You can’t seriously be considering this!” He hissed. “They-”

“Cross.” The name was soft yet stern as it came from Error’s mouth, and Cross fell into silence. “This is more important than trying to get back home. JR’s Victim Recovery Program is no joke, nor is it something to take lightly. If Nightmare needs to go through there…” He trailed off, looking back over at Dream. “I’d rather compromise. I don’t like it, but you need to trust me on this. Nightmare will be better off if we do.”

Dream nodded slightly- silent confirmation that Error’s guesses were true.

“I am willing to cooperate and follow through on these terms with you.” Error said, standing up a little straighter. “But I must ask for permission for me to go to our house and grab at least two personal belongings for each of us during our stay here. I will keep the portal open and you will be able to keep an eye on me as I do, and I promise to return without the need for force.”

He watched Dream contemplate his answer before opening a portal. He reached his hand through it and typed something on a keyboard.

“Be quick.” He instructed, closing the portal while he opened the door to Error’s cell and unlocked his handcuffs. “You have five minutes.”


	6. Cross Doesn’t Like This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He really, really doesn’t.
> 
> But will he do something about it, or will he let it happen?
> 
> We’ll have to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading this on my phone instead of my computer. It’s really weird, but I don’t have Wifi at this house and I’ve been here all day.
> 
> ANYWAY- hope you enjoy!

Cross couldn’t believe his eyes.

At first, when Error suggested going back home, Cross thought that Error had come up with a plan to get them out. He watched eagerly as Error opened a glitchy portal (not revealing any windows to give hints to where they lived, thank goodness) and stepped through, waiting for the portal to close.

His thoughts stopped the second Error came back with a basket of his knitting supplies and his electric guitar case. He set them both down on the floor carefully, not looking at Cross as he turned around and went in again.

The portal still hadn’t closed when Error returned with Nightmare’s violin case and Kevin.

Error looked up at Cross expectantly, but Cross couldn’t even follow what his friend’s thinking process was.

“What do you want me to get?”

Then reality came crashing down on his shoulders all over again.

Error was, in fact, willing to go through with Dream’s plan, whether he knew if Dream was lying or not.

“...” He sighed and hung his head, refusing to look at Error. “I’ll take my computer and deep fryer.”

“We have a deep fryer here.” Dream informed. “You will be free to use it if you want to get something more personal instead.”

“Then I want my headphones.”

Error nodded and left to retrieve the items. Cross grit his teeth together when he came back, the portal closing behind him.

“Cross.” Dream was speaking to him now, and he looked at him from the corner of his eye socket. “I’m not going to force you to do anything, and if you refuse you can still keep the two items, but it’s your choice if you’re going to abide by the rules or not.”

Cross looked between the two of them, making sure to show his distaste for what was going on.

_ “Cross. This is more important than trying to get back home. JR’s Victim Recovery Program is no joke, nor is it something to take lightly. If Nightmare needs to go through there… I’d rather compromise. I don’t like it, but you need to trust me on this. Nightmare will be better off if we do.” _

He sucked in a deep breath, counted backwards from ten, and let it out.

“Fine.” He agreed. “For Nightmare.” He made sure to give Error a ‘we’ll be talking about this later’ look as Dream opened the cell and removed Cross’ handcuffs.

“Follow me.” Dream ordered. “We’ll go to get your trackers, and once we’re somewhere private I’ll explain the situation to you.”

* * *

Error knew that Cross would act like this, but honestly, he was glad that he agreed to come.

Carrying all of their chosen belongings in an impromptu net/bag out of his strings (except for Kevin, who was in Cross’ arms), Error followed Dream out of the Prison cells with Cross next to him. He had already been down these halls before, so he didn't bother to really pay attention. 

They stopped by some kind of lab to grab three trackers that they were to place around their wrists before they continued on. Several minutes of silence passed until Dream led them into a room in what had to be the medical wing. There was a curtain separating them from looking further into the room, and once Dream was sure the hallway was mostly clear, he sighed.

“I found Nightmare in world CTT-A47-B.” He explained. “An… unlikely source had left a tip suggesting that we look there for him, and since we had no other leads, we went there. He was physically and magically exhausted, and he was also covered from head to toe in bruises and knife wounds, some of which were bleeding, and a broken leg.”

“When I picked him up to take him here, he started panicking.” Dream reached a hand up to rub at his nose cavity. “Not that I blame him, but you surely know as well as I do that he normally doesn’t let himself be like that in front of other people, if not at all. He proceeded to continue to fall into a panic attack until I snapped him out of it so that I can treat his injuries. While I was healing him, I found evidence that during the past two weeks he has been tortured and…” Dream swallowed bitterly. “Raped.”

Error hung his head in acceptance, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Cross’ eye lights steadily growing smaller and smaller in shock.

“We don’t know who did this to him or why, but my men are on the case to find the people who we believe kidnapped and chained him. Due to the unforeseen events, I decided that an exception had to be made. He will need to stay here while we are helping him recover, and as we know one of the best ways to do that is to have good moral support. As such, you two would need to stay here with him. I have also made plans for you to participate in the program, although you don’t need to actually go to the appointments or be cleared to leave. Our priority is Nightmare, and there will be no other catches for either of you.” He looked down at them. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.” Error nodded, and when Cross didn't respond he shoved him a little. The other gave him a ‘seriously’ face, and Error nudged his head towards Dream. Cross sighed.

“Crystal.”

“Good.” Dream nodded. “We’ll be moving Nightmare to the guest bedroom in a few minutes, but until then you can go and see him.” He reached for the curtain. “Please abstain from making noise- he is resting, after all.”

The moment the curtain no longer blocked their path, both Error and Cross were at Nightmare’s side. Their friend was asleep, but…

“He looks far from restful.” Error admitted softly.

“I can’t believe that happened to him.” Cross glanced behind him wearily at Dream. “How do we know if he’s telling the truth? Maybe he-”

“Cross.” Error slowly placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder, wincing a little. He drew Cross’ attention to Nightmare’s neck, where there were bruises despite the healing. “Look. What do you see?”

“A bruise.”

“Not just any bruise.” Error grabbed for his friend’s arm and pulled Cross’ sleeve up, showing him his own bruise that he had gotten from fighting off guards. He guided Cross’ arm closer to Nightmare’s neck, and while they were similar, they were also different. 

“Bones bruise for all different kinds of reasons, but bruises like that around the neck normally come as a trauma from drowning. And here-” He lowered Cross’ arm so that it rested next to Nightmare’s. They looked the same, but Nightmare’s wrists looked like he had fought hard against chains. “His wrists are chaffed. We both know that he wouldn’t fight that hard against JR chains, and that JR doesn’t do  _ that _ to people.”

“... I guess you have a point.” Cross sighed, shifting his hold on Kevin as the chicken bwacked. He removed his arm from Error’s hold, petting Kevin. “I don’t like this.”

“And neither will Nightmare, but if we don’t do this then he’s never going to get help for it.” Error insisted with certainty.

“We can help him!” Cross glanced at Dream and looked back at Error. “We don’t need-”

“We do.”

“How can you be so sure of that?!” He hissed, scowling.

“I did my homework, Cross.” Error sighed. “After I learned how to use the internet, I figured I’d learn as much about JR as possible. I-”

“You didn't believe us?”

“I did!” Error waved his hand. “But you guys couldn’t answer all of my questions about them! How do you think I break you guys out? Because I did my research and learned as much as I could.”

“Error-”

“You don’t have to trust JR.” Error continued. “Just trust me when I say that this will benefit us. I don’t care if it’s only my word that you trust and you hide away in wherever it is we’re staying. You don’t have to listen to anyone else so long as you follow the rules of the agreement, so you don’t need to place your trust in anyone else if you don’t want to. You can fight and protest all you want, but please- don’t make it impossible for these people to help Nightmare.”

“...” Cross looked away from him and down at Nightmare, silent. Error didn't know if that meant ‘okay, I won’t fight’, ‘I’ll think about it’, or ‘I don’t care I just know I can’t win’. He didn't question it, though- letting the silence settle down around them.

A little while later, Dream approached them.

“The Nurses are going to be moving him to his room now.” Dream explained. “I’ll be giving you a tour and show you where your rooms are as well, and the rest of your day can be spent to do as you please.”

Error looked away from Nightmare to look at Cross, who still remained silent. After a few seconds, Cross looked away from Nightmare and turned to Dream, not looking at either of them. Error still had no idea what to think of his friend, but he was relieved when Cross didn't act out.

“Okay.” Error said for the both of them, turning away from Nightmare as well.

“If you two would follow me, please.” Dream turned and led them to the door, opening it. “I officially welcome you to Justice Reigns.”


	7. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare learns of what's happened, and Blue decides to bug Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter did NOT want to be written, but here it is! Finally!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_ ‘This is really soft.’ _ He thought, snuggling further into the warmth around him.

He liked soft.

Soft was good.

Soft was memories of happy days long past and his friends.

Soft was pillows and Cross’ hoodie and Error’s plushies.

Soft was really, really good.

He let out a little content sigh, taking in a deep breath through his nose.

Wait…

His bed didn't smell like that.

His bed wasn’t quite this comfy, either.

_ ‘Where am I?’ _ He thought, slowly opening his eye socket to observe the world around him. The first thing that he saw was the gentle cream color of the sheets, blankets, and pillows around him. This definitely wasn’t his bed. He was pretty sure it wasn’t Error’s or Cross’ beds, either. He blinked a few times and focused on the wall across from him, which were certainly not the walls in his house.

Slowly, he sat up- hissing when his bones, particularly his leg, protested at the movement. This room was bigger than his, too, and more elegantly furnished than what would be comfortable to wake up to. He couldn’t see out the window, but he just knew that the sun was setting by now. Which was odd, because there was no sun in the Omega Timeline.

Looking towards where his back had been turned before, he relaxed a little when he saw both Error and Cross, asleep. Error was laying against the wall on the floor with his hood pulled up over his eyes, and Cross was sitting in a chair leaning down on the bed, a little drool coming out of his mouth.

Nightmare tried to remember what happened last, vaguely recalling his escape and carefully avoiding thinking about what happened. Cross and Error must have found him, but that didn’t explain why they were in a room like this. 

Or why they weren’t in the Omega Timeline. 

Or what on Earth had happened to him after he escaped.

Hesitantly, he reached over and placed his hand on Cross’ arm, shaking him a little.

“Cross.” He called, but the other didn’t stir. He tried again. “Cross, wake up.”

“Night, let me sleep~” He mumbled, burrowing his face into the bed. Nightmare was about to shake him again when Cross suddenly snapped to attention, his eye sockets wide. “NIGHTMARE!”

“gAH!” Error jumped up as he yelled, accidentally hitting his head against the wall and letting out a few curses as he went to cradle his head. Nightmare, meanwhile, was struggling to come to terms with what was going on. Cross was clinging to him as though he was about to dust.

“You’re awake!” He exclaimed happily.

“Uh… yeah?” Nightmare replied, confused. “What’s… going on?” The second he spoke he could feel Cross’ mood dampen drastically, and he pulled away enough to see the glare of displeasure that his friend had on his face. “Cross?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Error asked as he stood up and walked over to the bed.

“I…” Nightmare didn't want to talk about it really, but he needed to know what was going on. “Escaping into the city. I had just enough magic to teleport there. I remember walking around, trying to figure out what to do because you guys had probably been captured by JR while you were looking for me.” He looked around a little more. “Speaking of, where are we? I thought we’d be at home.”

“Nightmare…” Error sighed as Cross’ mood darkened considerably, making him a little nervous to hear what was going on. “We’re in Justice Reigns. Dream was the one who found you.”

“What?!” Nightmare exclaimed, sitting up straighter. Error nodded.

“Dream found you and brought you here to be healed. We made a deal-”

“ _ Error _ made a deal,” Cross growled, glaring at Error. He didn't even flinch.

“You agreed to it.”

“That doesn’t mean that I wanted it!”

“Anyway-” Error looked away from Cross to look at Nightmare, who honestly didn't know how he should be feeling right now. “We made a deal with Dream. You get the proper care that you need in order to recover, we aren’t stuck in the dungeon and are free to roam the world so long as we don’t leave, we won’t be hunted down, and Dream…” He furrowed his brow bones. “Honestly, I think the only thing that Dream wants from us is compliance. Maybe information regarding who did this to you. The only thing he mentioned wanting was for you to get better.”

“He’s got to be plotting something.” Cross nodded firmly to himself. “There’s no way that any of this is free. He’s going to try and bribe us for  _ something _ and I don’t like it.”

“What?” Nightmare was too confused, and he glanced between his two friends. He tried to figure out if this was some kind of sick joke, but… “You’re serious.”

“When he proposed the deal to us, he said that you’d need to go through the Victim Recovery Program.” Error explained. “Does it look like I’d kid about something like this? That’s some serious crap, and it makes sense!” 

“Who said you could choose for me?!” Nightmare suddenly exclaimed, anger winning his internal war. “I don’t need help! I’m fine!”

“You were raped!” Error shouted back, and Nightmare couldn’t hide his flinch in time. “Tortured! That’s not something you can just stand up and walk away from! You can’t just stand up, brush yourself off, and continue on with life without suffering consequences from what you went through! It does things to you! We’re lucky Dream actually offered to get you the best help he could! If we refused, the scars that you’ll have for the rest of your life will be bigger than they could have been! They would have affected your every action, your every choice! You think I want you to suffer while I’m helpless to do anything?!”

“You guys are the only people I need!”

“No we aren’t!” Error waved his hands in the air. “You think I know how to deal with this kind of thing?! That Cross knows how to deal with this kind of thing?! What if we accidentally hurt you trying to help, huh?! What if we made whatever scars you had worse?!” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he reigned in his emotions before staring Nightmare straight into his soul. 

“Dream offered help, and the conditions to the deal are things that are easy to do. I’d rather see you get professional help under the roof of our enemy rather than see you suffer in the safety of our home. Besides, Dream said that we were free to leave once you’ve graduated from the V.R.P. No imprisonment. No attempts to try to kill you. A catch and release, he said.”

Nightmare ground his teeth together but didn't say anything as he closed his eyes. He didn't want to fight with his friend, even if he didn't like what was going on.

“I agree with you, Nightmare,” Cross said after a few seconds. “I’m only staying because I told Error that I’d wait for you to wake up, and I’m not leaving without you. If you want to go home? Don’t want to do this? Great. I’ll help you break out. But…” He let out a sigh, pulling Nightmare into a hug. “It’s your choice. You get to decide what’s best for you. No one else. I’m here for  _ you _ .”

Nightmare glanced between the two of them uncertainly, a resolve settling into his soul.

“I’m fine.” He insisted.

“Then at the very least prove that you are.” Error folded his arms, tilting his chin up just the slightest bit- a challenge. “Attend the first week. Prove that there is no reason why you should be here.” The  _ ‘I dare you to’ _ was left unsaid. Nightmare could feel something sinking inside of his soul, and with a start, he realized that it was uncertainty. 

He had  _ never _ felt that way about winning one of Error’s challenges before, and he didn’t like that it was there.

“Fine.” He said regardless, expertly hiding his uncertainty from his friends. “I’ll prove it.”

“Dream wanted to be notified when you woke up.” Error turned around and walked to the other side of the bed, where a Nightstand and the phone line was. “He mentioned leaving us alone for the most part, but he and Ink do live around here too, and Cross and I have our own rooms. We're bound to run into them eventually, but it'll be better to get it over with now.”

“Oh!” Cross let go of Nightmare, pointing out the window. “And we got some land out there for some space for Kevin.”

“Kevin’s here?”

“Error asked Dream if we could each bring two things from home. Don’t worry- he doesn’t know where we live. We got your violin stuff too. Do you want to go outside?”

“Yes, actually.” Nightmare swung his legs off of the bed once Cross moved, pressing his hands against the sheets as he stood up. Instantly he sat back down, hissing in pain and looking down at his cast as though it had personally offended him. “Wha- when did I get this? I don’t remember breaking a leg…”

“It was broken,” Cross replied, lowering his voice when they heard Error talking to someone through the phone. “Dream found you with it like that. He set it and healed it, but they decided to put a cast on it as a precaution. We have some pain medication for you too- let me go get that and your crutches.”

“Great.” Nightmare scowled as Cross walked away. “I have a stupid cast. Ode to Joy.”

“Yeah, he’s not all that happy about the cast.” he could hear Error say from behind him. “Or the situation in general.”

“Tell him to screw himself.” Nightmare grumbled while flipping a birdie behind his back.

“He says he expected that.” Error answered, making Nightmare groan. Nightmare then proceeded to ignore the rest of the conversation, perking up when Cross came back with a small cup of water, pain killers, and the crutches.

“Here we go.” Cross placed down the crutches and offered the cup and pills to Nightmare so that he could take them. “I can give you a tour around the place while we’re out. Be prepared for extra sarcasm.”

“I’m always prepared for extra sarcasm.” Nightmare shot back, taking his pills. He had a feeling that it would all be salty too, but he could feel that Cross needed to get his anger towards the whole situation off of his chest. Then he grabbed the crutches and fumbled with them for a bit, standing on one leg. He tested them out for a moment before looking at Cross and waving one of the crutches towards the door.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

* * *

“Are you happy that I helped you find him?” Blue asked as he leaned against Dream’s desk, observing his fingernails while Dream continued to simply ignore him. “I know that you wouldn’t have been able to find him without me. Not even a thank you?”

Dream remained silent as Blue stared at him out of the corner of his eye. Internally shrugging, he decided to continue anyway. It was a good way to kill off his boredom regardless.

“How mean~!” Blue placed the hand he had been looking at to his chest, leaning even  _ further _ into Dream’s personal space, forcing Dream to stop working on whatever he was working on. “All that work I put into fulfilling your wishes, and not even a single word of gratitude? What will people think?”

Dream didn't fall for that one either, and he pouted internally. Oh well, he could still talk Dream’s head off.

“You know, I can’t help but wonder just what you have planned.” Blue hummed, leaning away so that Dream can continue working what little he could with Blue there. “I know they’re still here- all three of them. Something important must have happened in order for that to happen, and you’re the one who probably had to go the extra mile just to do it. It makes me wonder what’s so special about him.”

“You probably want something from him, don’t you?” He asked, lowering his head with a smirk on his face so that all it would take was a simple glance up and they’d be looking into each other's eyes. “But what could Nightmare possibly have that you want? Outside of the fact that you want him dead, anyway. Are you planning on stabbing him in the back? Helping him only to turn around and start hunting him all over again? What’s going on in that little, precious head of yours, Dream? Hmm~?”

“Or maybe-” A small spark of realization hit him, and his smirk grew a little wider. “You’re going to trick him into using that ‘machine’ you keep talking about.”

It was small- the slightest twitch as Dream lifted his hand to start signing a new document that told him he had been right about  _ something _ . Considering that he hadn’t given anything away with the previous options, Blue doubted it had something to do with the tricking and more with something to do with the machine.

“What is it, anyway?” He asked, extra attentive for any other signs. “This machine you plan on using. Nightmare certainly has something to do with it, but what does it do?”

_ Nothing. _

But he expected it at this point. Dream had grown a tolerance of sorts for his presence. He’d have to use a different set of means to get the information.

Honestly, Blue found this particularly amusing (not to mention that he’d know where Error was now: here, in JR. Maybe he could pay a visit if he got bored enough). He was curious as to how this would turn out, and he wanted to be there for every second of it.

Until then, he could amuse himself by annoying Dream and waiting to see if his patience would finally run out. It was a hobby of his, at this point- best to make the most of it!


End file.
